Shawn Felts has an incredible and diverse background in the field of ceramics. After graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in ceramics he went on to teach and tech at Queen City Clay, the largest studio in size in the United States.
Shawn then took a position teaching high school ceramics in Ohio. He learned a great deal about technical ceramics, troubleshooting, and problem solving. Lots of ceramic issues and defects in the high school ceramics world. :)
After moving to California Shawn began managing Clay Planet, a ceramic supply shop in San Jose. During his 7 years at Clay Planet he assisted clients with all clay/glaze and equipment related issues and technical problems. His reputation as the friendly and knowledgable clay guy earned him the nickname “ The Clay Guru”. He also repaired all ceramic related equipment including but not limited to: Kilns, wheels, and slab rollers. Shawn was the primary kiln and equipment repair man in the bay area for those 7 years- thats a lot of kilns and equipment! :) Shawn also still kept his teaching passion alive by teaching at Higher Fire Studio in San Jose for those same 7 years.
In 2016 Shawn accepted a position as studio director and manager of Clay By The Bay Pottery Studio in San Francisco. He was hired to run their expansion and new location. In his time as studio director the studio experienced its largest growth. By January of 2018 the studio was offering over 35 classes per session which equates to ~400 students per 6-week session, and had grown to over 200 members. It is now the largest studio in the united states in terms of students/members.